Atlanta Braves vs. Miami Marlins: Series Preview Q&A

Jul 22, 2015; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Miami Marlins pitcher Jose Fernandez against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

About the Pitching

1.  Jose Fernandez is back… and that’s good for baseball, not just the Marlins.  From afar, the stats already look impressive (4-0, 2.13, 11 K/9), but what else do I need to know about him?

Jose Fernandez has been down right dominant. He’s a thrill to watch pitch every 5 days and Braves fans should put aside their fan allegiance Friday night and just enjoy watching one of the greats pitch. Fernandez struck out 10 his last time out, throwing 112 pitches in his 6 innings of work. Fernandez has struggled with command his last two times out, after walking just one in his first few starts back. That’s to be expected, as it’s near impossible to be perfect every time out, especially coming off a major surgery.

2.  Speaking of pitching, please introduce us to this newly cobbled-together rotation that you have aside from Fernandez now that Mat Latos and Dan Haren are going to be pitching elsewhere.

Jose Urena, who came into the season as the Marlins #3 prospect, is taking the mound tonight. He has a strong fastball and is a strike thrower. He doesn’t strike out many hitters nor walk them. He is a ground ball pitcher, but will run into issues with home runs when he leaves his pitches up. He’s not off to a great start and still has his work cut out for him.

Tom Koehler, Brad Hand, both likely pitching this series, and David Phelps make up the rest of the rotation behind the two Jose’s. Overall, it’s not a pitching staff to write home about and if the Braves develop any sort of groove, they should be able to knock round the Marlins starters, aside from Fernandez.

Next: Where Did it All Go Wrong?